Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 236: Star, Mimisbrunnr (1)

「That crazy bastard!」 Jin Prezia yelled.

Even Sinmara froze up. 「No!」

They never expected the Elfin Root to step in between Agares and Chang-Sun. Although Chang-Sun’s subordinates were undead, they could still die—no, a more severe consequence was waiting for them in death now. Their resurrection exempted them from samsara. Hence, the moment they died, they would get obliterated, making it impossible for them to reincarnate. That was why their current lives were very valuable.

Nevertheless, the Elfin just threw itself to save Chang-Sun without hesitation. Moodoo was just as shocked as Jin and Sinmara.

“You want me to know what kind of man my master is?” The Elfin asked.

While fleeing the area with Mercury, Moodoo had asked the Elfin what it thought of Chang-Sun. By sharing their consciousness, Moodoo had learned that Chang-Sun was the ‘Divine Twilight,’ but she had wanted to actually hear the Elfin’s thoughts.

“It’s difficult to explain, but I can tell you one thing for certain.”

After carefully choosing its words for a long time, the Elfin had finally answered,“Our Guardian believed in my master until the very end, and so do I.”

In the same way that the ascetics in Himavat looked up to Kali, the Elfin trusted and relied on Chang-Sun. Was that why the Elfin had done this?

‘Just as I have met my other colleagues!’ Moodoo bit her lower lip.

Paah…!

From the part that Agares had pierced with his left hand, ink-like fluids flowed out. The Elfin’s destroyed body parts turned to dust and dissipated in the air.

Annoyed by the sudden interference, Agares frowned a little as he held out his opened right hand toward Chang-Sun. Agares’ black divine energy concentrated at the center of his palm and turned into a sphere, the enormous amount of demonic energy in it causing it to undulate.

[The Skill ‘Kalokagathia’ has been activated, comparing your two selected enemies’ stat points to yours. The stat points where you’re inferior to them will be temporarily increased.]

[The Authority ‘Kalokagathia’ has increased your stat points to the maximum!]

[Your Strength has increased by ??.]

[Your Intelligence has increased by ??.]

…

[The State ‘Roaming Tiger’ has been applied, enhancing your ability to think!]

Right before Agares’ sphere exploded, the world around Chang-Sun slowed down, giving him time to desperately come up with a countermeasure. He couldn’t act like an idiot now and waste the time that the Elfin had bought for him.

‘Since I can’t use the [Execution Sword] against him, I’ll have to fight him with only the powers and abilities that I have right now,’ Chang-Sun thought.

The [Execution Sword] temporarily granted Chang-Sun access to his old divine class, but the Authority wasn’t omnipotent. It could only be used against the people that the <Underworld> deemed to be criminals. Agares wasn’t one of them, so Chang-Sun couldn’t meet all the requirements to use the [Execution Sword].

In that case, Chang-Sun had only one choice.

‘I have to borrow power from someone else!’

[Prelati’s Spellbook] opened, and the pages turned to the next chapter.

「The calculation is going to be hard from now on…! Okay, let’s do this!」

[The fourth chapter ‘Atra Fulmen’ has been applied, releasing the upgraded lighting energy from your heart and cores!]

Chang-Sun’s cores, which were made with Drăcōnígĕna Monólĭnum, had synchronized with his [Ferocious Heart], giving him absolute control over his body. Chang-Sun had to work on his skills next, which not only included his fighting techniques but also his mana control methods. To that end, he had to improve his techniques and rebuild his mana in a new form. Once done, he would only have his mind left to develop.

Badump, badump, badump―!

Chang-Sun’s [Ferocious Heart] raced hard, and the cores all over him simultaneously resonated with each other.

Ooong! Oooong! Oooong!

His cores spun fiercely and released lightning energy, which soon blended with the <Darkness> from his [Ferocious Heart]. His <Dusk Lightning> energy grew cloudy and turned black, becoming Atra Fulmen, the black lightning.

Swoosh!

Chang-Sun swung the [Yuchang Sword] upward as hard as he could, releasing as much mana as he could. His hair turned white as if covered in frost. Through the [Yuchang Sword], he fired off a black lightning energy bolt into the air, but it narrowly missed Agares’ chin and headed toward the ceiling.

“What’s wrong with your aim—!” Agares smirked at Chang-Sun, who missed his ultimate attack, but soon felt something was wrong. By the time he looked up, Chang-Sun’s Atra Fulmen bolt was already close to the ceiling, which was about to collapse due to the ongoing battles between several Celestials.

Boom!

Rumble―!

The Atra Fulmen bolt struck the ceiling, black energy spreading through and widening the cracks enough for it to cave in.

[The Celestial ‘Taurus’ looks downward!]

Just as Chang-Sun intended, the Celestials’ attention was drawn toward him and the others.

[The Celestial ‘Tsunami Bringer’ joyfully shouts that he has finally found you.]

[The Celestial ‘Antlered Animal King’ says that for some reason, the energy site was making it difficult to locate you.]

[The Celestial ‘Plague Monarch’ offers you her best medicine.]

…

[The Celestials that have been looking for you have found the hidden location under the <Star Grave!]

At that moment, a trident appeared out of nowhere and destroyed Agares’ sphere. The sphere exploded as a result, preventing it from firing off demonic energy at Chang-Sun.

Boom!

Rumble―!

The shockwave spread in every direction. A ray of clear water showed up in the air and circled around Chang-Sun and the Elfin, protecting them from the impact. Soon, a part of it took a humanoid form.

The ‘Tsunami Bringer’ Neptune, one of the three Ruling Celestials of <Olympus> and the great ruler of the ocean, had appeared. He looked like a middle-aged man with a robust physique and a strong aura. When Chang-Sun looked at him from the side, he somewhat resembled Minerva and Mars.

『We finally meet, human!』 Neptune laughed, his divine voice echoing throughout the air.

『I don’t like that you can control lightning, considering only Celestials should be capable of doing that. However, since your temperament seems to resemble mine, I’ll allow you the honor to follow me! In return, I’ll bequeath you the ferocity of the great ocean.』

Neptune’s eyes shone like a violent ocean wave, showing just how much he wanted Chang-Sun. If necessary, he was even willing to make Chang-Sun his subordinate through force.

『Nonsense!』

Neptune wasn’t the only one who wanted Chang-Sun. A spatial gap silently opened behind Chang-Sun, and arrows shot forward from within it. Each arrow contained enough power to destroy a planet.

Swoosh!

Boom, boom, boom―!

With a swing of his trident, Neptune sprayed water as if he was closing a curtain and shot down the arrows.

The ‘Antlered Animal King’ Cernunnos came out from the gap with his sharp fangs bared. He looked like a beast in his own right, wearing leopard skin and holding a whip made from snakeskin. He also had a stone axe hung on his belt and a crown decorated with a very tall antler. Although powerful enough to become a Ruling Celestial, he chose to wander around on his own instead of being a part of any <Society>.

『Are you all blind? That child’s temperament, fighting technique, judgment… Everything he does is practical and warlike. That makes me the best Guardian for him!』 Cernnunos shouted.

『Ugh… I hope… you wouldn’t… only see him that way…! Umm… he also… deals with poison and diseases which falls under my jurisdiction… I have the perfect medicine for men… how do I give this to him…?』 the ‘Plague Monarch’ Serket commented, showing up diagonally from Cernunnos.

The scrawny woman was wearing a long robe that also covered her head and had a scorpion tail conspicuously sticking out from behind her robe. Contrary to her timid behavior, she specialized in poison and diseases.

The three Celestials entered a bizarre staredown, filling the air without so much tension that it seemed as if a fight was about to break out any second. At the same time, more and more Celestials showed up, their number quickly reaching hundreds.

『Wow! What’s going on? Why are there so many of you here?』 Satan laughed mischievously as he looked down at the area using one of his seven heads.

[There is rampant greed over the Player ‘Lee Chang-Sun’!]

“You vermins!” Agares frowned deeply as he looked at the Celestials.

His plan to get rid of Chang-Sun and retrieve [Peter’s Key] had been rendered useless when too many Celestials showed up and complicated things. However, the biggest problem he had right now was that Uriel and Marbas would soon find them.

[The <Maleakhe> angels are searching for the cause of this disturbance to hold them responsible!]

[The <L’Infernal> demons advise their allies to stand down because they are about to punish the people who disgraced them!]

With things getting out of hand, Agares wondered if he should just eliminate everyone here. Planning to spare no effort in getting his hands on the golden key, he raised one of his eyebrows. If he had to, he would even wage war against all of them.

“If you keep trying to interfere…” Agares mumbled.

Grrrrr―

Kieeeee!

Agares’ wings shook hard. His demonic energy rose up from underneath his feet like a storm, spreading all over the area like a black curtain being drawn over the world. The mixture of malignity and madness behind the ‘curtain’ wailed like a ghost.

“... I’ll rip you all to shreds.”

The Celestials’ faces darkened. Agares and his East Legion made up forty percent of the <L’Infernal> army. With Agares half out of his mind, anything could happen. A war could even break out right here, right now.

[The East Legion demons answer their commander-in-chief!]

Paaah―!

Agares flew at Chang-Sun. At the same time, Neptune, Cernunnos, and Serket remained on alert as they clashed against Agares.

Rumble!

* * *

Using [Windstalking Tiger], Chang-Sun got away from the battle among the Celestials. ‘I’m just buying time right now. None of the problems have been solved. How can I get out of here?’

Agares was brave enough to not be fazed even while going up against several famous Celestials. Instead, he tenaciously glared at Chang-Sun, revealing his greed. Meanwhile, from a short distance, Heoju fought Mercury and kept looking for an opportunity to pounce on Chang-Sun. Agares and Heoju were both crazy.

That wasn’t all. Although Chang-Sun had called them over to fight the two Celestials, Neptune and the other Celestials would also come after him later. Moreover, he could now see Uriel of the <Maleakhe> and Marbas of the <L’Infernal> by the ceiling, ready to jump in and use force to stop the fights.

If Uriel and Marbas captured Chang-Sun, they would never let him go no matter how much he explained that everything he did was just out of self-defense. Even if they extenuated him, they would lock him in their jail for at least hundreds of years, which meant the end of his operation.

[The Celestial ‘Taurus’ is looking forward to seeing your next move!]

The ‘Taurus’ wasn’t here, but Bel Marduk watching Chang-Sun was enough to make the latter grit his teeth. He and his people were surrounded by enemies, leaving no way out of this hell.

「Master… I’m okay.」

The bigger problem was that the Elfin was dying in his arms. Chang-Sun had been pouring all his mana into the Elfin, but Agares’ demonic energy in the hole that was in the Elfin’s chest showed no sign of subsiding.

‘Fuck…!’ Chang-Sun cursed.

He didn’t want to lose the Elfin, one of Kali’s priests whom she had sacrificed herself for. He didn’t want to lose anyone anymore.

‘If only there was a way to get rid of all those people at once…!’ Chang-Sun’s eyes widened. ‘Wait, get rid of them?’

An idea flashed across Chang-Sun’s mind. He quickly took a look around. The underground area had been turned into a mess due to the falling debris, but the space itself was relatively intact.

‘It’s not affected by all this fighting?’

Chang-Sun felt all the energy site’s flows pompously converge deep underground. Following the flows with his eyes, he saw ‘Mimisbrunnr,’ the giant lake in the distance.

The lake was still intact, which was probably because the <Maleakhe> angels and <L’Infernal> demons managed the old <Asgard> vestige using flood control. Inside the lake was a high concentration of sealing Authorities. What would happen if Chang-Sun ‘unlocked’ the lake?

‘Will it work?’ Chang-Sun held [Peter’s Key].

He had already seen what this key could do when he unsealed [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. Considering Agares wanted it, Chang-Sun thought his plan might just work. He had no other choice anyway.

Thump!

Chang-Sun ripped [Peter’s Key] from his neck and inserted it deep into the energy site flow.

Click―!

Immediately feeling confident that he could open it up due to the clicking sound, Chang-Sun rotated the key without hesitation.

‘I’ll get severely injured if something goes wrong,’ Chang-Sun thought.

Grrr!

[The ancient sealing spells of the Spirit Lake have been forcefully nullified!]

[The flood control has been deactivated.]

[The Barrier ‘Metatron’s Secret Technique Book’ has been unlocked.]

[The Barrier ‘Baal’s Sigh’ has been unlocked.]

…

The ground rumbled.

‘Now isn’t the time to care about that, though.’ Chang-Sun’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Rumble…!

Swoosh―!

[The Spirit Lake is starting to flood!]

[A flood is taking place.]